Reviews

I have just finished watching this first series which is actually a self contained mini series. This story centres around Chief Superintendent Barlow, a character from Z Cars and later Softly Softly. He is a serving member of the British Police Force who is asked to look into corruption and conspiracy in a Welsh town. The town has been redeveloped from its mining roots into a manufacturing centre for technology products. Barlow is tasked to uncover any and all criminal activities being carried out by one of the company directors who is considered the Big Wig of the town. This task was based on information received from a former council employee who was serving time in prison for sexual assault of children. In uncovering the criminal activities Barlow finds murder, police corruption and a counterfeiting ring which ultimately leads him to Cyprus to find the source of the counterfeiting scheme.

Overall I really enjoyed this, in a way the character of Barlow reminds me of William Conrad's character in Cannon, a US TV show around the same time. Both are very straight laced and straight talking and have a set of principles that they will not deviate from regardless of the circumstances or the consequences. This particular series is quite unusual for the time as it looks at the crimes of a peadophile and at one of his victims who seems to have some sort of a bond with his abuser that is a twisted sort of 'love' and loyalty. Of course, Barlow considers this abhorrent and treats the abuser with a justified contempt however he is much more understanding of one of his victims who has this misplaced 'love'.... I don't think I can remember any TV show of the time broaching this subject especially in this way. The story itself moves along at a good pace and is interesting to follow as Barlow unravels the woven intricacies of the conspiracy and the characters involved. This first series of 3 episodes stand alone from the next series which followed a couple of years later in which the episodes are self contained rather than the this first mini series which has one overall storyline. I am not sure if it was always planned for there to be a second series when making this one especially given that a couple of years passed before the second but I think this first one was successful enough to justify making a second series. I really like the Barlow character and his methods, it makes for some great TV and also helps lift certain storylines that might not work with another type of character . Overall a really enjoyable start to a great TV series. Well worth seeking out and watching if you can.

I have managed to watch 22 episodes of this series and I am looking for the few remaining episodes that exist or are said to exist anyway.

Every episode has a different detective and characters along with a different story, they are all interesting and of good consistency in quality of the story. The acting is also very good despite a good few episodes using somewhat unknown actors. The first series is presented by Rupert Davies in his Maigret character which is a nice touch, but every time I watched him I really wanted him to take on the role of the detective in the episode rather than just introducing the episode, I really enjoyed his TV series Maigret and consider it the best of all versions.

I think these episodes still hold up today as good TV and I think worthy of being transmitted on TV again perhaps a TV channel like Talking Pictures might be able to in the future as they do transmit some great old B&W TV series from the U. K. as well as some great films, all of which you would not see anywhere else, unfortunately!

I would recommend anyone here to seek out these episodes as they are worth finding and watching and offer some great stories and acting plus we get to see a different pace of life and attitudes some of which are sorely missed in today's TV offerings.

I have just watched the first episode of this series, I will watch the next episode shortly. After watching the episode I am disappointed that I won't get to see the other lost episodes as I understand only the first 2 episodes survived which is a real shame because I really think I would have enjoyed seeing them. This opening episode was introduced by Rupert Davies, probably best remembered for his Maigret series in 1960 (which I really enjoyed and consider that series to be the best of any Maigret versions especially the most recent of them on itv) and this episode starred Michael Redgrave and Anne Todd both very good actors. I have enjoyed watching them in many an old film and their performances here didn't disappoint. The story was interesting and although the plot was pretty straightforward there was still a twist to the final act but in spite of that the play held my interest and I enjoyed watching the actors play their parts. Given the age of the episode, I imagine that retrospect will allow others to perhaps dismiss it as cliched I always think that to really enjoy these older TV shows and films it helps to try and imagine yourself in that time when the episode first aired and try to judge it based on that rather than just considering it by today's standards. Having said that I do think this episode holds its own just on the performances alone. I could almost see this as a stage play as most of the episodes key scenes are inside and what is filmed outside isn't really essential to the story. I enjoyed the atmosphere that the actors gave the story and the way they effortlessly allowed the story to develop. The story is about an old German veteran of WW2 who worked in intelligence and was a very effective asset who after the war drifted aimlessly and penniless around Europe, ending up in Paris until 27 years later an old comrade who now works for East German intelligence comes looking for him to undertake one last job with the reward of seeing his wife, whom he had thought dead. In return for killing someone this former agent is offered the chance to take his wife with him back to the West along with a handsome pay off so that they can live their remaining years together. However, once back in East Germany this veteran intelligence agent starts to realise that nothing is what he thought and that there is a reason that he was sought out and recruited for this one last target. I would recommend anyone to see this especially those who enjoy these older TV shows with some great veteran actors.

I just watched this on TPTV website...... I have seen most of the English versions of Maigret, Rupert Davies, Michael Gambon, Richard Harris and Rowan Atkinson ...... I rate those in that order.....!

I think there is one with Charles Laughton, but I haven't seen it.

This version is my first from France.... and it was nothing like I expected..... all the 'detecting' traits I know of Maigret were not there and to be honest I didn't even think it felt French let alone Parisian.... there was no Dumas, or the usual grunt work from LaPointe and Torrance which I think is a very big part of what Maigret does and how he works in solving the clues that he sees and we are shown....

Overall I felt that Rupert Davies and Michael Gambon versions were more Parisian and evoking of that time period in Paris and especially in Montmatre....

This particular episode didn't even feel like a detective story..... I got no sense of Maigret and his workings generally let alone in respect of this particular story line....

Please don't misunderstand me, this is a decent episode but held against the other versions I mention maybe barring the Rowan Atkinson ones, it seems to lose the 'magic' of Maigret and the characters could be from any 'generic' same period detective show....

I was surprised at the ending, this was not the same killer that I watched in those other versions of the same story line..... I am not sure which is more accurate to the book itself but certainly the character who is the killer here is not the same character from the other English versions I have seen..... so that was completely unexpected, I also remember several more integral characters hovering around the story in the Davies and Gambon versions who weren't in this version of the story.

If you enjoy a decent period detective film to watch then I would recommend this regardless of the main character, if you enjoy the Maigret series then this is certainly a different take on the character and story if you're used to the English versions..... the subtitles don't detract from watching the film or encroach on the experience so please don't be put off by that in deciding to watch or not.

I watch a lot of 40's and 50's films these days and I caught this on TPTV, a great channel for older movies and TV shows..... I thought this might be the typical fayre of these British films with a 'high profile' American actor, this was not the case.

There's some great humour regarding the language differences and the very different way of life of the English countryside..... the court scenes also highlight this chasm between America and Britain at this time. Indeed, it still happens today but not to such an extent. I recall myself when in the USA, struggling to get a cup of coffee because the staff couldn't understand my London accent or another guy asking me what I thought of the hire car I was driving, it was the newest model and thinking I was a local he asked me what was new about this model, to which I replied that "I didn't know because it was a hire car"..... he looked at me for a moment and then asked " How much higher is it..?" ..... to which I burst out laughing and he left quite indignantly, thinking I was laughing at him ...!

This film highlights these differences in a humorous and also frustrating way, for all involved.... The American star is also not typical in that he doesn't start solving clues or bulldozing through people to find the truth.... He's just an ordinary guy who adapts and because of that, he is able to gain people's trust and confidence.... That I think is highlighted in the final scene from the court proceedings and the manner in which he teased out the vital testimony of the 'star' witness .... and most importantly in the final scenes after the court case is over...

It's a good story and kept me interested and enjoying throughout..... Robert Montgomery was also the director and I think that this as well as his role as the star made this film all the better..... a very different film than most of the time and because of that well worth watching....

There's a lot about this film that some might criticise, like plot holes, far fetched escapes, small budget etc. But for me those that might use that to put in those criticisms are missing the context of this film.

The film is strictly a kids film of the time.... almost comic like because that's what the film is about.... The hero will always escape and will always win.... These types of films like Bulldog Drummond etc were made for Saturday morning kids cinema. As a rule of thumb you can spot them because there's no romance (young boys would not like that!), another is the budget indeed any of the criticisms here are a good indication that this is a kids film... however I think many have missed that here..... I thought the film was great for who it was intended to be for and if you watch it with that in mind I think you will enjoy it .... The film runs like a comic of the day, like Boys Own or similar hence the way the scenes change and escapes are made, also the story itself is taken from a comic rather than the book... and plays like that.

This film is of its day but it is still fun to watch.... as long as you can imagine you are one of those kids watching the film on a Saturday morning at the local flea pit cinema.... 👍

I really enjoyed this film, it took me back to another era.... during the first part of the film I found myself hoping that the 'nosey journalist' wouldn't spoil the action by becoming a romantic lead with one of the four..... just in the same way I used to as a youngster. When you knew that the romance was going to spoil the adventure. But to be fair, I don't think there any many films of this time that don't. But I think my point is that this film took me back to the 'adventure fantasy' every young child feels watching this type of film, where a female romantic character only slows down or stops the adventure or even worse causes the good guys plans to fail because of that romantic lead.

It was all great fun and humorous, a typical adventure film of the time and a rousing of patriotism, I assume for the trouble that would shortly arrive to everyone in England and so there are some touches of propaganda in a subtle way but not overtly so. Indeed, watching any films of this era even well before the war were what some would call propaganda but was more jingoistic, which most of these films of that day were.

Of course, to compare it to anything to come later is missing the point of the film, that is to entertain and I'm sure the film did just that for many people at the time and it did for me! It's a great school boy adventure romp even now, just remember to really get the enjoyment from this film just switch off and layback. It's a great way to spend 90 minutes of your time especially if you enjoy these old British films, as I do. I would also be careful of the copy you choose to watch as I have seen a few very poor quality copies, when first looking for this film but was fortunate to find a good quality and unedited, from the original version, copy. Overall great fun in the spirit of Bulldog Drummond or The Saint, which were all popular films of the time. I am sure anyone reading here will enjoy this film.

I enjoy watching these old British crime films...... this one is in the Edgar Wallace Mystery type of story and direction.... There's a good few well known British film actors in this including a very funny cameo by Jimmy Hanley, as himself. The film has the typical British humour and even makes reference to Ian Fleming and his James Bond novels including a good guy, Conrad Phillips, just back from Japan and with a few 'spy' gadgets that were super small (for the day 😀) and even two way radios..... disguised as cigarette cases, the film is well worth watching and from my own experience, not readily available, indeed I was lucky enough to catch it on, Talking Pictures TV (They have a website too that you can watch it on if you can't get the channel yourself) ..... if you enjoy these old 1950's or early 1960's films this film will not disappoint....

I wasn't sure what to expect with this film, but it really drew me in after the first 5 minutes...... I thought I was just going to see one of those 'Hollywood' war films of the time (1945).... but it was far from that. It took me back to my experiences with the waiting and the sounds driving your thinking and the banter between the guys...... This film is well worth watching!

I like a lot of the films from British cinema around this time and this film is no different..... there is one small question I have about the cast of this film..... I don't think I have seen a British film of this time with so many American actors .... after the war it was usually a method to attract audiences in U. K. and hopefully the USA ..... but this film is pre war and has about half a dozen American actors of whom none were the usual yanks you might see..... I did read that the main protagonist here was part of a stage production that went over to the West End or London theatres..... around this time.... and I think that production involved Orson Welles company so I wondered if the American actors in this film were all in the U. K. together for this West End production and that this cast or members of it were offered the film together because they were over in the U. K. and someone saw an opportunity to make a British crime film full of American actors, which would have been very unusual at this time mainly because budgets would not allow it, ie, to bring American actors over to Britain and put them up for the duration of the filming..... so I would like to know how this American cast got into a budget British film and just around the time that the USA was telling all its citizens to return from Europe and the U. K. because of the situation with Germany and Russia who were both gearing up to invade Poland in September of '39..... if you enjoy these old British crime films then you will enjoy this even if it's just for the unusually large American cast...

I have just got through watching this movie and I thought it was absolutely brilliant..... brilliant Psych.... the chemistry was there between all the cast.... but especially between Shawn & Guster.....! Great Banter and laugh out loud moments throughout..... Great to see Timothy Omudson/Lassiter doing so well...! For me this movie was everything I loved about Psych on TV..... and for me the best of the 'movie' versions, so far....! Even if You haven't watched Psych before, You can still enjoy this movie in isolation...... Fantastic to know that there will be another movie version coming out..... that's assuming that You watch the movie until the very end of the credits rolling to find out.....! 😁

The plot as it opened to us in the first episode has my interest..... and I am enjoying the episode barring one detail which unfortunately is really irritating and does impact on my overall experience..... it is the American character..... I can see no reason for this character and it's personality ..... the character or rather the character's personality comes across as an afterthought to the screen play / plot and only seems to be involved in order to reach or attract a very small minority of potential viewers .... I am trying not to allow it spoil my enjoyment but as with so many shows these days it is the price We viewers pay for the sake of someone's opinion of 'inclusion'......!

I will post more in the last episode reviews once I have watched the series....

The first time I saw this and after watching the first 15 minutes, I thought this was going to be one of those 3rd rate 1950's war films..... so I kept the film running but ended up being easily distracted because I had already decided.

So I saw it on TP recently for a second time and this time I promised to give the film my attention.... and I am glad I did..... this film for me was not Low Budget .... but rather a small Hollywood budget..... and compared to many British A films I am sure the budget here was significantly more....!

It surprised me to see how the women were portrayed in this film.... especially the women captured and their torture plus the way these Polish women were the biggest factor in helping the British to identify Assess and ultimately steal a V1 ...... we saw the German women enjoying their brutality and cruelty as much as their male counterparts in the SS and camp guards.... I even got the sense that there was some very heavy hinting at the sexual lust & gratification that some of these Nazis had in their treatment of forced labour and the occupied populations.

Even Esmond Knight... popped in to reprise a similar role he had in The Silver Fleet..... and he led the torture of one of our heroines....

The accuracy is also very good for this film, I cannot recall another similar film of the 50's that was focused on the Nazis Top Secret operations and portrayed just how It was the Poles that gave and sacrificed everything for the people of Britain and in particular London...... indeed without the Poles sacrifice the Nazis would have had the V1 ready and targeting Britain prior to the D Day landings .....!

I never understood why there were not more films portraying the efforts and sacrifices of the Polish people and for that matter other Eastern Europe countries in general, I guess it's because of the way We, the allies and in particular the British and Americans who allowed these countries especially Poland to be assimilated by the Russians and forced into communism.... I was taught, that the Poles were the only nation not to surrender to Nazi Germany and it was their pilots that helped us to win the Battle of Britain and indeed it was the Poles that broke the German codes using the enigma machine and shared all this with Britain prior to September 1939.....

At the time I could never understand why if Britain was prepared to declare war on Germany after they and Russia invaded Poland in 1939 (because of a treaty we had signed with Poland prior) why after the war against Nazi Germany we didn't make the same demands to Stalin and his communist stooges who were occupying Poland as the Germans surrendered and these same Russians were the ones who invaded Poland with Nazi Germany in 1939, the British turned its back on Poland and it's people after the war, these great brave Polish people deserved so much more ....!

Well worth watching for that reason alone imho....

Such a throughly enjoyable film and very much a thank you to those who served, I got the real sense that this was made by a number of ex-service personnel involved in making this film. I say that because unlike so many war films of this period, this film recognises so many more than 'just' the air crews who were involved in supporting these bomber crews but also the ground crew, the administration personnel and the local civilians and the lives they had during war..... don't misunderstand me when I say this because I don't mean the film is documentary or instructional style.... far from it!

Whether, briefly or with a little detail this film was able to incorporate all aspects of the significant involvement by those who were also there or there about's like the ground crews, etc. Rather than the aircrews. I am sure this film was able to remind people at the time just what it took to put a bomber aircraft in the air and be able to deliver it's 'payload'. We see that throughout the film, from technicians, mechanics, ordinances, administration services, medical services, the down time in town, the support structure in terms of welfare and well-being etc...... it's all very well placed in the story and I think the makers here wanted to do that without looking over sentimental or a weaker story..... This film is most certainly not a romance and the little time we see with the women here are there for several reasons like as intelligent officers..... This film for me, shows and tells me that the war was won by Everybody on the Island of Britain not just those on the frontline, so to speak.

Having watched a good number of films from the 1940's - 1950's I would rate this above a lot of similar films of the time and I really enjoyed watching it..... I would recommend this film to anyone who has got as far as reading the reviews here....!

I never saw this first time round, and don't think I ever remembered that it existed until recently.... I saw the first episode a few weeks back and I only did so to remind myself if I had seen it before..... I hadn't, but I am glad I did....!

I never really enjoyed the typical U. K. sit-com especially at the time of its height in the 70s and 80s...... I found them to be unfunny and ham acted....

But this show was different to the typical sit-coms of the day.... it was very well written, in terms of the clever way those acts of chance that Tom Chance suffered were set up and paid off.... and the two main characters were very well played....

I found of the episodes I have watched so far that although this show has a typical sit-com feel.... but the characters and situations are just very surreal and sometimes very dark......

I enjoyed this in the same way I enjoyed Get Some In, for example, although it might appear to be a typical 80s sit-com it is worth watching to find out for yourself just how different it is from the shows of the time...

I can't think of any one else who could play the main role as well as Simon Callow... either at the time or indeed if there was a remake today..... The lazier programme makers today would likely pick a comedian of some type, whereas this show works better with a good dramatic actor rather than a comedian....

I found this movie to be much better than some of the reviews here would suggest..... there are a lot of big names and well known faces acting in this movie..... most of the cast were big and or well known at the time of making and for that reason alone this movie should be watched..... as some others have said this is a similar subject to the movie Those in peril.... however, for me this movie is much better... What I enjoyed most was recognising how patrol routine and patrol duty generally is in the most part about boredom and trying to pass the time until the boat gets back to base.... and how that boredom or rather lack of action can allow individuals to not be as diligent as they should, like for example the engineer/fitter in charge of the engines who cut corners to save time during a routine engine repair and how this decision effected the efforts of the boat crew to find lost or downed pilots, the movie portrays this lapse in crew members responsibilities and highlights just how such small details overlooked or ignored can seriously effect and have consequences for people involved across the whole operation. From the head of the search operations at base, or the crew of the downed plane and the important passenger they were carrying when they were downed and the extremely vital information that passenger had recovered from occupied territory in Europe and that must be got back to England ASAP to help prevent new versions of the V1 and V2 missiles that the German scientists had designed to increase damage and destruction across England and strategic locations as well as targets of civilians and more Importantly their morale.... (a suggestion to the Super Weapons that Hitler kept believing would at the very least allow for a truce and a peace settlement without surrender to the allies)....

I think some reviewers are missing what this movie is trying to portray..... for me anyway..... that is the continuous monotony for many, especially so close to the end of the war, of such sea rescue patrols.... this for me is highlighted or more obvious from the scenes involving the Entertainment Officer at the base and his discussions with the CO responsible for finding and retrieving the vital information and the important passenger before the Germans do.... whilst the CO is under pressure from the powers that be and his own personal determination to find and rescue the downed crew... he is being asked to approve somewhat irrelevant and mundane plans such as preparing and informing service personnel for civilian life and dealing with small issues like petty theft or rather theft by finding (as it was called)

I think most veterans from all arms of the military would recognise what this story is most focussed on.... it is neither about any one individual in the cast or about providing the viewer with wild excitement and action.... there is both in this movie but the main plot for me is about the way monotony and routine can influence the individuals decision making and the consequences for that on others...!

I am still surprised at just how many well known (at the time)..... Budget wise the cast salaries would be enormous comparatively to the level of this movie... so I do ask myself if favours were called in or if there was some kind official patronage say from the military or some other person or organisation....

I always enjoyed the films from the CFF.... and rewatching them now I still enjoy them.... this title is no different... the adult actors in these were always well known and some, like in this instance, had been in big Hollywood blockbusters as well as successful UK films and TV shows.... There was never a suggestion of these films being patronising or cheap, so to speak, indeed young people were also involved behind the cameras as well as in front of them and there were plenty of those youngsters who went on to have successful and respected careers in film and TV making .... It would be very dismissive to say that this film was simply a film for children as with so many of these CFF films this film is comparable to films made for and by adults so I would recommend watching this no matter your age.... One could even argue that the quality of these CFF films were better than those comparable 'adult audience' films and especially many of those so called quota quickies that were prevalent around this time....

Great yarn for kids, or at least it was at one time....! I remember watching these CFF films as a kid around the late 60's and I still enjoyed watching it again.... I remember the excitement with wanting the film to end (Whilst still wanting to see the end!) so we could get out and do similar japes.... Go kart made from pram wheels and orange boxes and playing around bombed out buildings and wasteland... and even then still playing around wreckage of the odd German plane in some of the woods .... making camps and playing the heroes!

It was also good to watch adult actors in these CFF films that your parents would know from the movies they watched.... so looking back I never saw these movies as 'cheap' or 'half done' because of the target audience, indeed the quality was equal to the older audience films of the day.... and anyone from a later generation watching these should remember that this is just how kids were back then and we loved it.... ! Penny for the guy..? Though I don't think any kids today would know that we once celebrated November 5th in the way we see here.... Halloween never existed as we see it today and it was November 5th that was the big Bonfire Night... when we would set fire to our guys on the local field or park and watch the fireworks with sparklers.... back then we could buy fireworks or a lot of them ourselves....! I still think kids back then were more mature than we see today.... even though some say kids grow up quickly today I don't think they are as well educated or mature as the kids back then.... but this film is a great adventure from a long gone era...!

I watched this when it first came out and to be honest I cannot recall sitting through the whole movie and most likely fast forwarded a lot of it.... so my memory of it was negative.... however I saw it advertised again and thought I would try watching it again.... I am glad I did.... the movie was funny and outlandish in its substance but once you watch this again knowing just how much time and money our government has spent in using the 'paranormal' for military and intelligence purposes the movie moves to a whole new level of satire!

Freedom of Information from government and its agencies has shown through open source that the concept of psychic powers within us, or not, has been researched and invested in by our military and our intelligence agencies since the 1950's ..... the costs reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars and even today this idea of 'remote viewing' is still used and has been proven, to a certain degree, to be a method of intelligence gathering accepted at the very highest level of our government and governments across the world.... once you consider the reality of the concept in practice by government you can appreciate this movie on another level to what you might have had just watching it 'cold'..... because, no matter how funny you might find this movie narrative, knowing that these type of 'paranormal' exercises and operations are still being researched and implemented adds a completely different slant to what you watch....

I accidentally recorded this film on my cable box and as it was there I thought I would give it a try.... I was expecting the usual corny sci Fi that was so common in the 50's but I was hooked after the first ten minutes.... it was a complete surprise and I really enjoyed it.... this film would put a lot if not most of the more modern sci-fi films to shame..... it all felt real.... the characters didn't over act and the effects were more convincing than the CGI we see today.... I understand that the reason for that might have been the costs but what ever the reason it worked..... there were no brave but meaningless sacrifices of the characters, the differences between the characters in terms of how they reacted and carried the narrative was believable.... even the romantic fluff was treated with humour and a lot of banter... and the chief scientist who wanted to communicate with the 'thing' was not over played .... I was really entertained and I am just glad I got the chance to see this film.... Even if you aren't a sci-fi buff I am sure you will enjoy taking the opportunity to see this film...

I really enjoyed watching this film and I was engaged from the outset.... The film itself is well made and well written but the film is lifted by its stars.... in particular Guy Rolfe.... but also Éric Portman as the police inspector and as the love interest Nadia Grey... the film could have been a bit slushy with the romantic angle or a convoluted crime story or indeed a jingoistic flag waver... but the film succeeds in finding the right balance of all these genres... but out of all this, for me, it is Guy Rolfe who pulls this balance out with his performance followed a close second by Eric Portman..... please don't misunderstand I am taking nothing away from me script or the direction.... but Guy Rolfe really is a quality actor.... and here he shines... it's just a shame that his career was not as rewarding as his talent should have made him.... but I understand that was in the main due to him developing a disease just after this film and being forced out of possible roles by being unavailable for at least a year or more.... indeed he was lucky to survive it let alone be able to return to work as an actor.... but that time away sadly lost him the opportunity to take advantage of his increasing plaudits amongst those who cast or recommend any actors to those in film that make those decisions. There was an actor immediately thought of while watching this film, that being Conrad Veidt....both of these actors absolutely ooze charisma and screen presence like very few of their contemporaries do and indeed even into more recent films with the actors that were to follow.... I have only recently started watching a lot of films from this era and into 50's and 60's as well as later films that I grew up seeing.... but I am struck by just how much Guy Rolfe is so engrossing whenever he is in a scene especially when sharing that scene with Eric Portman, they both compliment each other's character and you cannot help but want to see more of them together in other films that were equally as well directed or produced but sadly lacked the presence of such fine actors as these.... as I am certain that those films would have been much more successful than they were or certainly much more well remembered...! I would recommend this film to anyone out there who's only reason for watching is to enjoy and be entertained.... a definite 9 for the leads alone...!

I have seen this film on a good few occasions and I can still watch again...... it has to be my favourite POW film and it tickles me every time I watch it.....!

The characters are truly what makes this film for me.... and has a great cast list of contemporary comedic actors that plenty will recall from many comedy films of the 50s and 60s.... some even until the 70s and 80s....!

I would recommend this film to anyone of any age.... in the same way I would, Dads Army (UK TV series from the 60s and 70s) especially if some of you that do watch it will recognise the stereotypes of that time as its that premise that makes this work...... I suppose you might say that this film is the comedic version of the other escape movies of that era.... and from my own understanding is also a lot more accurate than most in terms of the settings and backgrounds...!

I had a couple of family members who were POWs in Germany during the war... and I can still remember sitting watching this film with them when I was much younger! I enjoyed laughing along with them and hearing some of their more humorous anecdotes of their experiences... as it was only those that they ever talked about.... the more serious of their experiences, I never heard them discuss but when they were together they would share the funnier side of what they remembered and the characters they met....

We should never forget what these guys went through as prisoners under the Germans and I still don't think I have heard of or seen any POW war film that truly reflects the abuse and deprivation that these men went through at the hands of their captors.... !

Well worth your time even if the British humour is not quite your thing... I am sure it is still enjoyable....

I saw this when it was first released on video..... I did enjoy it at the time, my main criticism was the choice of leading man but all these years later I watched it again.... and if anything that criticism was more than the first time...!

The film for me would have worked a lot better without him... I didn't find the character funny or rather the actor playing that character..... I am sure he would make a decent actor in straight roles but for the comedic he lacked timing and was trying too hard to be funny in the same way you read about serious actors over acting.....

It's a shame because I think this film might have been much more entertaining if it were not for this actor.... and one or two others, for this film to work I believe there needed to be a more talented comic actor....

Mel Smith, a UK comedian, was behind this film and I would say if I had to guess, that the lead here was not the first or second or even third choice.... and or Mel Smith had to rely on others for advice on casting American actors... because I really cannot see Mel Smith choosing this guy .... of course the other possibility is that the studio forced this choice on him..... but no matter, the sad part of this film is that it's potential was not realised and for me I blame that on the leading man.....

If you have not seen this before and you have an afternoon to waste then you could do a lot worse than this, however, if you can, you should hang on for the remake...! ;)

I enjoyed watching this film as I do a lot with films from this era. It's a romp by that I mean it is more of a tongue in cheek crime story... although I am sure it will please many viewers from that genre.... of course it's to be taken as it was meant, that is to entertain and that it does...!

What really interested me was how the choice of leading man was made..... I am not suggesting that Robin Bailey is a bad actor , far from it, he was a talented character actor but for this film his approach to his character and his look just don't work in my humble opinion, the choice for him to do this is almost as bad as the choice of 'has been' American actors that we saw around this time and mainly in the quota films of that time.

I am sure that other actors must have been approached for the part before the final choice of Mr Bailey.... but no matter I would like to find out why he was chosen to lead.... when there were so many options available at the time.... I am reminded of that film The Cover Girl Killer 1959, in which the lead, Spencer Teakle, who was also miscast for this film and hopefully anyone who has seen that film might understand what I mean...

Sorry if I am coming across as harsh that's not my intention, I am just curious to know why Mr Bailey was given the lead... I didnt let my curiosity ruin the film as even with Mr Bailey I enjoyed the film... Personally I would have preferred, for example, Dermot Walsh or even Paul Carpenter etc.... rather than Mr Bailey..

If, like me, you enjoy the British films (Quota Quickies, B Films etc) from this era, then I don't doubt you will also enjoy this film as I did...